When We Depart These Shores
by tazpwrs
Summary: "In that one terrible instant the universe itself seemed to stop its motion to watch as the last son of Galifrey, the most feared and best loved creature in all creation, the universes greatest hero, drew his final breath." All of creation is in danger and unless the Doctor survives it is doomed. But how do you prevent a fixed point in time?


**A/N:** And so I'm back after an incredibly long hiatus for which I apologize profusely. I also apologize to those who are familiar with my other works on here and are waiting for me to update my Dragonball Z fics. I am working on them it's just incredibly slow going but hopefully they'll be updated soon.

Anyway, the idea for this fic popped into my head as soon as I saw the series six premier and I actually wrote it all out on a legal pad about a year ago but due to lack of a computer I am just now able to upload it. Anywho, please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** The rights to Doctor Who belong to BBC. I am making no financial gain from this story.

**When We Depart These Shores**

Lake Silencio. The lake of silence, and in that moment, that one horrible moment that name was strikingly accurate. In that one terrible instant the universe itself seemed to stop its motion to watch as the last son of Galifrey, the most feared and best loved creature in all creation, the universes greatest hero, drew his final breath on that unassuming lake shore.

And suddenly the moment was shattered as the final companions of the Doctor rushed forward with a yell as the Time Lords body crumpled to the ground. From a vantage point some two hundred yards away, hidden from the eyes of the small group on the lake shore, those same three people watched for the second time as their dearest friend died.

"Isn't there something we could have done?" asked Amelia Pond-Williams, tears in her eyes as she clung to the front of her husband's shirt. Professor River Song shook her head sadly, tears falling from her own eyes.

"The Doctor's death here is a fixed point in time. He had to die here." She smiled sadly, "As he himself would have been the first to tell us."

They watched in muted horror as their younger selves placed the last Time Lord's body into a small boat and burned the corpse. Although they were too far away to smell it now they each could recall with vivid accuracy the stench of burning flesh as the flames consumed to tweed clad body.

"River why are we here if we can't help? I don't know about you but watching the Doctor die once was more than enough for me." Stated Rory Williams as he rubbed gentle, soothing circles on his wife's back.

River shook her head softly as they watched their counterparts depart for the diner where they would meet the Doctor once more, albeit a much younger one. "All I know is what I was told. A note was slipped in my cell early this morning. It said that the universe was doomed if the Doctor didn't leave this lake shore alive."

"Then why didn't we-" began Rory only to be cut off by his daughter.

"Because the note was very specific. The Doctor must leave here alive, _after _he died."

"But how is that possible?" questioned Amy, managing at last to stifle her sobs. "How can he die here and then walk away alive and well? He can't regenerate now can her?"

"No. Of that I'm certain. He was killed during the regeneration process. There is no recovery from that." assured River.

Rory cleared his throat. "Maybe it's just me, but aren't we more likely to figure it out down there than up here?"

Finding no fault in his logic the three began what felt like the longest walk of their lives. They crossed the hot sand to stand next to the spot where the charred remains of the small canoe had washed ashore. They stood staring at the blackened ruin for a moment, lost in thought.

Suddenly Amy noticed a soft pulsing light buried in the ash. She reached down, gently grasping the glowing object, brushing the soot away with her free hand. "River?" she asked, catching the woman's attention, "what's this?"

The archeologist gasped and snatched the slim object from the red-head's hand. "It's a piece of the TARDIS coral!" she exclaimed.

"The TARDIS what?" asked Amy.

"Coral. TARDIS' are unique in the fact that they aren't just built, but grown from coral like this. The technology is integrated into it as it grows."

"Uh-huh." A clearly confused Rory stated. "And why exactly is it glowing?"

"It's calling out…"

"To who? Or what?" questioned Amy, confusion painting her features.

"Another piece of itself." answered River in awe.

Amy confusion only grew at this statement. "You mean there's another piece of the TARDIS out there? What good will that do?"

"I wish I knew." Sighed River with a shake of her head. Then abruptly the light cut off.

Amy snorted. "Load of good that did! I thought for a moment it might…" she trailed off, tears springing to her eyes again.

"Bring him back?" finished River. When Amy nodded her head, she sighed. "So did I. The universe is doomed unless the Doctor somehow leaves this place alive."

"And he will." Said a voice from behind the companions. They spun around quickly, Rory pushing Amy behind him as River reached for her gun.

There stood the owner of the voice. A slim man in a brown pinstriped suit and red trainers, his dark hair gelled to perfection, sticking forward. He stood nonchalantly, one hand thrust into his pants pocket the other clasped around another piece of the TARDIS coral.

River gasped, her grip going slack on her pistol as it fell to the sand. "It can't be…"

Amy looked between the two, clearly not enjoying being left out of the loop. "And who is he?"

"Someone who can't possibly be here." Answered River, her eyes never leaving the man.

The man tilted his head as if thinking. "Weeeelllll more like _shouldn't _be here, not _can't_. It's a fine line." He said as he crossed to the pile of ashes, reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket as he went. The object he withdrew was strikingly similar to one Amy had seen a very long time ago.

Amy gasped. "Where did you get that screw driver?"

"Do you like it?" he asked with a crooked smile, "Took me ages to make it. I must admit I got a little spoiled having the old girl spit them out for me, it had been awhile since I'd made one on my own."

"What do you mean you made it? The only person who can make a sonic screwdriver like that is-"

"Yes, yes." The man said waving his hand at her, irritation lacing his voice.

"But-"

"Wibbly-Wobbly. I'll explain later." He assured her as he leaned forward and began to scan the ground with his screwdriver. "Aha! Here we are!" he exclaimed, hand darting forward to snatch a scorched object from the soot. His broke into a smirk. "Oh I am brilliant! No!" he corrected himself, "I'm more than brilliant! I'm… Well I'm me!" he stated as he wiped the object clean. "Well actually, I suppose I _was _him is more accurate in this situation…"

"Stop rambling!" cut in Amy when the strange man paused to draw breath. "Tell us who you are, why you're here and why that-" Amy took a peek at the object he held. "That watch thingy makes you so brilliant?"

The man fixed her with a serious look. "As to who I am, that's a long story that you probably won't believe at the moment. And I'm here because the TARDIS called me. Aaannnddd this "watch-thingy", as you so aptly named it, is a very special fob watch. And it makes me so brilliant because I left it here for me to find. Or rather the other me left it for the me-me to find. Make sense?"

"No." Answered the married couple together. Their daughter however continued to look stricken.

"You can't be here." She started again. "You're very presence here is a paradox that could wipe out all of creation! Do you realize how many laws of time you're breaking?"

The man resumed his study of the fob watch as he slipped a pair of spectacles onto his face. "Of course I realize. Seeing how as of now I'm the only being in this universe, or any other for that matter, left to enforce them." Here he paused in his examination to look the woman dead in the eye with a grin. "But that's the beauty of a meta-crisis. Technically I'm not breaking any laws."

River's eyes widened in shock and the Ponds looked at their daughter, growing more confused with each line of dialogue delivered by this stranger with his rapid speech. "The beauty of a what?" asked Rory.

River ignored her father and continued to stare at the man. "So you're him then?" she asked, hope filtering into her voice.

"Yes, yes." The man nodded. "Now be quite for a moment. I imagine this'll twinge a bit, being designed for Time Lord physiology and all but my DNA should be close enough for it to work." He pressed the release on the top of the watch and suddenly a golden light, not unlike that of regeneration energy, oozed out and engulfed the tall stranger. His face contorted and he let out a howl as his body doubled up. And then as suddenly as it had come it was gone and the man collapsed to the ground like a puppet with no strings, panting as if he's run a marathon. However when he looked up it was with a smile.

"Amelia Pond, the girl who waited." He flashed a crooked smile. "What a brilliant name! And Rory!" he exclaimed bounding to his feet, his exhaustion apparently forgotten. "The Last Centurion! I've been hearing legends of you since almost my first trip to Earth. Weeelll , I believe it was actually my third but it is brilliant to remember you!" he said shaking a stunned Rory's hand. "And of course I've met River!" he paused. "Well, sort of."

"Hold on a moment!" interjected an irate scot "How do you know our names? And what do you mean it's brilliant to 'remember' Rory?

The man grew serious once more, an expression that made his face seem much older and much more terrifying to the point Amy found herself fighting the urge to step away from the man. "Because that's what that fob watch did. It stored all my counterparts' memories from the time we parted until now. All his memories of you, stored inside a tiny relative dimension waiting for their owner to retrieve them. Although it is usually used as a copy and paste kind of thing I, or rather he, managed to modify it to be more of a back-up copy."

"What do you mean your counterpart?" questioned Rory finally getting an inkling of who this man really was.

The man smiled. "I'm the Doctor."

Amy scoffed. "No, you aren't."

"Yes, I am."

"Uh, no, you aren't!"

"Yes I am." He insisted, imitating her burr.

"No," she insisted, "The Doctor wears tweed and bowties and fezzes and other ridiculous things. He doesn't dress all…" she searched for the word.

"Nice?" supplied Rory.

"Thank you Rory!" Amy shot at her husband. "Besides you look nothing like him. You. Are. Not. Him"

The man straightened his tie. "First of all, thank you Rory. And second, I am the Doctor. Technically I was the Doctor before your Doctor was the Doctor."

Amy rounded on her daughter who had remained silent through the entire exchange, watching the man. "River, tell him!"

River finally tore her eyes away from the man to look at her parents. "He is who he claims. He is the Doctor. Or nearly."

The man coughed. "Yes, well, technically I am half Donna but…" the couple looked at him in confusion. He just waved his hand dismissively. "Old companion, long story. Point is I am the Doctor. I have all his thoughts, all his memories, his emotions, his fears, his faiths. This body, this face is me as I was before you knew me." He cocked an eyebrow in thought. "Right before you knew me actually. I crashed into your shed not five minutes after I regenerated. Just think of it as me regenerating into a new body, except this time I'm actually in an old body."

He could still the doubt in Amy's eyes and he sighed. "Look at me Amy. Look at my suit, my screwdriver, you've seen them before. Or rather ones nearly identical to them. You saw them the night we met, on-"

"My Raggedy Doctor." She said softly her eyes wet once again.

He nodded, tears in his eyes as well. "It's me Pond."

"Doctor!" she cried, throwing her arms around the man.

"It's ok Amelia, I'm here." He said, gently squeezing her back.

Once Amy had recovered enough to pull away, the Doctor clapped his hands, the light of adventure glinting in his eyes. "Now as River was saying we have a universe to save. And or destroy. It's that kind of day." he said with an expression that reminded Amy that this Doctor wasn't exactly the same man she'd known her entire life. But when he smiled at the family she saw her Doctor peeking through and she couldn't help but return it.

"One quick stop and then off to the TARDIS!" the Doctor broke into a grin that threatened to split his face in two. "Oh I've been waiting to say that again for a long time. Come along Ponds! Allons-y!"

**A/N: **I do plan on continuing this story. As to when I will get around to updating I'm not sure, I have two other stories that I've had on hiatus for the past two years that I really need to work on, plus I haven't really mapped out where this story is going from here. I originally intended it to be a One-Shot but as I wrote it kind of took on a life of it's own. So we'll just have to see where it goes! Adieu!


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